A1687/1634 BAND 30 A BIG DEAL?

Does anyone know about the band 30, which is only available on the AT&T model (A1687/1634). It is to enhance the performance of LTE.

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I got the black AT&T version in black color first, but now I changed my mind to the rose gold. The problem is I cannot reserve a rose gold ATT version. Even though I woke up early for the reservation, but I failed to to reserve it successfully due to the very limited stock.

2 days ago, I got an verizon version (A1687) from apple store, which doesnt have the band 30. It can be used with AT&T sim card. (Actually this year, all the models are same, Tmobile, sprint, verizon, except ATT).

But I just want to know, is the band 30 a big deal? Is the signal nationwide accessed? If yes, I will try again to reserve it. But if not, maybe I will just use the verizon version.

Band 30 is AT&T's WCS spectrum. It is high band spectrum that is going to be used in congested areas. Being that it is high band it does not travel very far from the tower so it will require a dense network making it ideal for major metro areas.

So, if you live in a major city with speeds that are slowing then I would say it COULD be a big deal if AT&T gets it deployed fairly quickly. If you aren't in a major market then it won't really make a difference this year, may mean more for the iPhone 7.

Band 30 is AT&T's WCS spectrum. It is high band spectrum that is going to be used in congested areas. Being that it is high band it does not travel very far from the tower so it will require a dense network making it ideal for major metro areas.

So, if you live in a major city with speeds that are slowing then I would say it COULD be a big deal if AT&T gets it deployed fairly quickly. If you aren't in a major market then it won't really make a difference this year, may mean more for the iPhone 7.

I ran into the same issue with my wife. The AT&T rose gold from Apple wouldn't arrive till mid November.

I was checking out eBay and the non 30 band iPhones were going for $100 less than the 30 band phones. In the end, I bit the bullet and paid the extra for the phone with band 30.

My understanding is that San Fran is very tight with lots of people is small areas so you might get band 30 soon.

My wife is also going to keep her iPhone for two years. If she was going to upgrade again in a year, then I wouldn't have paid extra. I suggest you check out eBay. I paid $1,300 for the iPhone 6s Plus rose gold 128gb 1634 version. It was unopened and unlocked. Plus no monthly device fees. I paid a couple hundred extra then I would have at Apple but it was a birthday gift so she got it on time.

The AT&T version is hard to get because it can only be sold for AT&T. Apple would want to make more of the non band 30 phones because they can push them towards any 3 of the carriers. AKA iPhones won't be waiting to be sold at Sprint if they have no demand yet Verizon has a wait list.

Probably because people who don't have AT&T, will never use it on AT&T, are buying them just because they perceive it to be the "best" version or the belief that it will be worth more for resale. Which it very well may be, but it won't be a big enough difference to lose sleep over.

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